{"id":194189,"date":"2025-03-13T10:57:12","date_gmt":"2025-03-13T09:57:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.voyages-d-affaires.com\/?p=194189"},"modified":"2025-03-13T11:53:31","modified_gmt":"2025-03-13T10:53:31","slug":"french-air-transport-in-troubled-waters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.voyages-d-affaires.com\/en\/french-air-transport-in-troubled-waters","title":{"rendered":"French air transport in \"troubled waters\" as taxes rise"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\u00a0If they wanted to kill French air transport, they couldn't do it any other way.<\/em>\" . It's a bitter conclusion, and one that has no appeal for Thomas Juin<\/strong>director of La Rochelle airport, but above all Chairman of the Union of French Airports (UAF)<\/strong>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Increased taxation in 2025 combined with the accelerated withdrawal of the State from its sovereign responsibilities<\/strong> (ensure internal security and public order at airports) are putting French air transport at risk. This is particularly true for regional airports with fewer than one million passengers.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This trend is already reflected in the results for French airports in 2024. At the annual presentation of passenger results in France, UAP notes a slump in growth<\/strong>. \"\u00a0We didn't think that the post-Covid period would bring so many difficulties for French airports.<\/em>\" admits Nicolas Paulissen, General Delegate of UAF.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Marked slowdown in growth in 2024<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Last year, overall growth at French airports was<\/strong> 3,6%<\/strong> compared with 2023. i.e. 205.76 million passengers, on a par with 2018<\/strong>. These figures are also still 4% below those for 2019... The slowdown in growth is clear from one year to the next. In 2023, traffic grew by 14.2%, i.e. almost 25 million additional commercial passengers. Last year, the increase in traffic generated an inflow of 7 million extra passengers<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Market share between Paris and the regions (Graph: UAF)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

According to UAF, France is already falling behind the rest of the European Union<\/strong> since the traffic of the 27 exceeded the 2019 level by 1.8%. There were differences, of course. Germany, Austria, Sweden and Finland are still more than 15% below 2019. Spain, Greece, Italy, Poland and Portugal, on the other hand, all posted double-digit increases. \"\u00a0These are countries that favour air transport and understand its impact on local economies and tourism.<\/em>\" says Thomas Juin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n